Star Wars Legacy Of the Grey: Dragon's Raising
by fanboy913
Summary: Luke has done in one life what many could not do with generations, he created and Order, he faced and defeated countless opponents and saved the galaxy too many times to count. But it seems Luke will not get to enjoy the peace he helped create, the force has other things in store for the Master of Jedi, and a new place for it to happen. LukeXOC EragonXArya
1. Chapter 1

Star Wars Legacy of the Grey

Dragons Rising

Prolouge

This was a little idea that popped into my head so I decided to make it real, if you read my other stories do not worry i am working on my main ones.

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There were many who would find the idea of scouring an unknown Galaxy for new sentient life a most stressful yet boring job. Of course those people had not had the fate of the galaxy, the force, and the republic for good measure thrust on their shoulders. Those people had not face done a creature who was as good as the dark side incarnate and beat it in a lightsaber duel, five separate times.

Grand Master Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight was enjoying the closest thing he would ever get to a vacation. Even now he felt a slight sense of guilt, it had been a long year. Coruscant was still rebuilding from the events of Abeloth and the Lost Tribe of the Sith, he and the Jedi Order had spared no effort in assisting the city.

It was because of this he was out here really there were always things that the Grand Master was needed to do and though he threw himself at them with abandon it never seemed to lesson. He could count the number of times his daily meditation had been interrupted, that he had missed meals, or had to attend some political gathering. It had all added up, until he realized that he needed something, anything to take a rest and regather his strength.

So at his son's suggestion, that boy, no that young man was becoming quite clever, he had decided to go recruiting for the order, after all who better to find those with force potential than the strongest jedi alive. He laughed at that thought and shook his head, however upon closer look one might wonder why he was going to unexplored space to do so. The answer of course being that finding sentient life was a rare occurrence and if he spent a few relaxing days just floating around some unexplored space it would do wonders for stress levels.

For a glorious two weeks he had spent hours in meditation, practiced his saber play, and rested, his ship he was currently using as a retrofitted cargo ship, in the smaller variety not unlike the millennium falcon was just the perfect size for his endeavor. But like Mara would say, he paused frowning at that a slight pang of loss touching his mind. Mara his wife, his other half, he shook his head forcing himself out of his revelry, but like Mara would say "All good things must end farm boy, get back to work."

And so he was, after of course he checked out a small anomaly he had picked up on his scanners. Currently he was in hyperspace headed towards an anomaly that had been grating on his senses. Current Star Maps showed where he was headed to be a vast region of empty space, but something felt off about that his maps an instinct, there should have been something there. Scans had showed gravity behaving strangely for mere empty space but if a solar system had been there it would have been normal.

Anyway, it did not matter too much, if he was wrong and there was nothing there then he could simply go on his merry way, if there was something he could update the maps and perhaps find an excuse to extend his sabbatical.

He was sitting in the pilot's chair ready when the ship dropped out of hyperspace, a small smile quirked his lips as planets appeared on his scanners. The former blackness melted away to relive a small solar system by normal standards. It was home to three planets orbiting a young yellow star the furthest one out was larger, too large for normal life. If his scans were correct gravity alone almost forty times that of the galactic average would prohibit anything save for lower forms of bacteria to survive. That and the massive amount of seismic activity, the planet closest to the sun was uninhabitable as well its proximity to the young star rendered its surface blazing on one side and freezing on the other. The one in between them was a different story; for starters that planet was in the sweet spot, the perfect position away from the sun to support tolerable temperatures. Initial scans showed several oceans and indicated several large contents and half a dozen smaller ones.

He punched several commands and his ship moved in closer, he shook his head, no, this place was nothing, it might be in the right spot, it might have water, but there was nothing on it, why would there be? Perhaps he should turn around and forget it. His hand began to move towards the cancel commands, yes forgetting it would be for the best.

The force stopped him, it screamed warring and though he did not understand why he had lived with it for too long not to trust it. He shrouded himself in the living force letting it flow into him, around him, through his body, his mind, everything. And his hands stopped moving, an attack, that had been so subtle, so quiet that he had not even known he was under assault was reviled.

The twisting of minds was a dark art, a skill that many practitioners of the darkside sought to master; thankfully few did but those who could caused immense damage with that skill. But as with all things what the dark twisted the light could heal, the living force struck at the thoughts that were not his own and something recoiled.

Luke reacted the moment the thoughts left fortifying his mind spreading his awareness, if the force had not warned him he would have never noticed what had happened. Now he was wary, he focused on the planet again and felt a small lance of something crash against his mental shields.

The moment it touched him he became abruptly certain of one thing that was not the force, once upon a time such a thing would have shocked him but those times were long past. He was no longer arrogant enough to believe he understood everything, or that the force had to be the source of everything supernatural.

Something was trying to keep him from coming closer, from investigating that world but what, and why?

The thought crossed his mind and he was sure it was his own thought that perhaps if something wanted him gone so bad he should oblige. But like his father before him and his son after curiosity, was as much a part of the Skywalker blood as was their strength in the force. He brought the ship in closer, he was almost close enough to scan for life if he saw or sensed something he did not like well he could always turn around come back later.

With the subtle attack on his mind he had wrongfully suspected that whatever was guarding the planet was perhaps not the strongest thing in the galaxy. He should have known better, known better than the think the force would give a Skywalker something that easy. He was ready for the subtle attack, for the backstab, the surprise attack.

So the tsunami of power that hit his mind was completely unexpected, it hit him like a supernova and against this there was no defense. Or perhaps it was better to say that there was not direct defense, some warning, some instinct had warned him at the last possible moment. Instead of meeting a wall mental fortitude the he allowed his mind to move with the psychic impact. The physical world faded as blackness followed. In that blackness hundreds upon hundreds of lights began to appear. At first they were like distant stars shining a wan light but they steadily grew bigger.

Twice more the physic storm smashed into him, and twice more his mind rolled with blow letting it carry him where it will but never quite breaking his defenses. What one could not block or deflect one must move with.

With each hit the lights became brighter and brighter, a third time it hit him and the lights were hundreds upon hundreds of small suns some larger than others surrounding him. He could feel the power striking him emanate from these things like radiation, each sun burned with fire intense enough to burn lesser minds around it. Had his own thoughts not been protected by the force this things would have burnt his conscious away to nothing.

Out of all the things had had happened in a short period of time what came next surprised him the most, one of them, a light several times larger than the others he could see spoke. Well not really spoke, he was in some sort of mental plane his body and ship had not deviated from their current course. His mind, his soul if you will was here and now what had brought him here was talking to him.

It was a vast ancient voice, something filled with majesty and power Luke had heard in few others, "Child...from…beyond... the...stars" it said slowly as if only dimly remembering how to communicate.

Carefully, on guard against any attack he loosed enough of his mind to answer back "My name is Luke Skywalker"

"Skywalker.." it said "That..is..what..you...are..called."

He felt something stir as if a vast head was shaking "But...that...is...not..your..true...name"

If his body was here his eyes would have furrowed in confusion, "I...have...seen...ages...of...death...child...of..the..stars...I...have…no... wish...for...yours."

It spoke again, in a language that Luke had never heard, it was musical, powerful, and had meaning far beyond the words the being had said before. Though he did not understand it he was abruptly certain that if he did not allow this ancient thing into his head that the lights that were holding still around him would strike until nothing remained. He was also somehow knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this ancient being before him meant him no harm, he would not harm or alter anything in his head.

It almost bothered him that he did not question it, that he was so certain, that he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this thing was, in that ancient language. Before he could think of a reason not to he opened himself up and let it in.

It felt like a long time passed, memories, the being searched through his memories patiently and methodically going through every moment it found interest in. In a flash of insight or perhaps it was something he gleaned from the force in this thoughts, it was looking for moments that helped define who and what he was, things that would show what he would become. One, moment he was lost as a child in the desert of tatooine as a child, the next he was meeting Obi Wan for the first time. Then he was fighting his father, he was falling to the darkside under the Emperor Reborn. Next Leia was freeing him, he struck down the Emperor, he rebuilt the Jedi, he married, had a son, trained his and and his sisters children. His wife, his Mara was murdered, his anger had been so great that he had struck down in anger a woman who had not been her killer.

Next he was saving his son from his nephew, he was pulling himself out of the darkness he had slid into after Mara's murder. He was fighting Aboleth, meeting the new dark lord of the sith, saving the his nephew's daughter the one who would become the light of the jedi.

All this and more the being looked at and through, an undetermined amount of time passed before he voice spoke again "Ah...your...name...I…understand"

The being withdrew from his mind "He...will...be...spared"

The presence then spoke to the other lights around him. "...the...mistake...of...the...grey..is...raising...this...one...has...faced...her...like...before."

The lights around him blazed brightly and he thought he could sense, sense perhaps surprise perhaps, or disbelief. The voice spoke again "Make...it...so..",

The blazing light vanished as whatever the being was left the mental plane they were on. "As you say elder" a much clear but no less majestic voice said. The lights all focused on him the intensity of their power burning his mind even though his defense "A dark time is upon us, but you're coming changes it for good or ill we know not."

A different kind of power gathered to the lights, more present, more physical, he felt through the force massive amounts of energy being gathered "This world must be protected; we are its guardians, its protectors. It holds something that must not leave, knowledge that must never be shared beyond the stars. You will be spared, as our elder has decreed but, we cannot allow you to leave." Pain flared through him an agony like every cell in his body was on fire "We do wrong by taking away your freedom, but wrong and necessity are often the same."

He could only listen coherent thought not an option "So in return for taking away your old life, in return for tieing your fate to that of this world we give a gift only given to one other. Escape is pointless, even if it was possible we would prevent it. We must do what its necessary to protect the knowledge that must not spread, to safeguard that legacy of the grey that it may never curse this earth again."

Darkness started to take him "My you come to forgive what we have done to you Luke Skywalker, Child from Beyond the Stars."

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Rain, that was the first sensation he felt, light cold clear rain was touching his face. His eyes stubbornly battled his minds order to open them. When they did that first thing he saw was a grey cloud filled sky, his body hurt all over. Several minutes passed before he felt strong enough to sit up, to feel a cool wind mix itself with the gently falling rain. He sat on a hill overlooking a wide valley, to the east large imposing mountains rose skyward, a river ran through down from them and through the valley below him.

He ran through several calculations in his head, whatever those things were they has somehow transported him over several thousand miles from where his ship hand been. And something told him the ship itself was not more, he brought up his hand to brush the water away from his eyes. And froze at seeing his hand, it was not like he saw something terrible, no it was just something wrong he knew his body. He knew it in and out, he had lived with it for over forty years, his skin was not this smooth, it was not unscarred, it was not hairless.

He then realized a second thing, he held up his other hand, long ago it had been struck from his wrist in a battle with his father. He had gotten a prosthetic and over the years it had become second nature to use it. But that was gone now and in its place was a clean new, working hand. He could only stare at it in shock, looking down he noted that his clothing was the same, but it was smaller than he remembered. He wore the basic jedi robe having forsook his normal masters garb for his...vacation. He felt the comforting brown cloak around his shoulders he both felt and saw the weight of his two lightsabers against his hips.

Gently he felt his face, moving his hand over scarred flesh that was no longer there, through his hair which had been starting to grey and thing but now felt full and natural. He stopped over his ears, pointed, why were they pointed now. With a grunt of effort he pulled himself up and immediately noted a new problem, he had lost about a foot and a half in height. "What in the name of" his voice trailed off it sounded different higher, not that was not the right word, it was his voice but it had been that when he was…..when he was a boy.

Emotions surged through him, anger that was one, astonishment another, lots and lots of confusion. But most all a sadness, he looked up skyward understand somewhat what had happened, this place, this planet had something, something that a force he could not even began to describe seemed wholly devoted to keeping it hidden. And they had stuck him here, his ship was gone, they had mentioned that this place did not have the necessary technology.

"A real raiders den you have fallen into Luke"

He knew that voice, it was one he had never expected to hear again, he did not even bother trying to hide his shock "Ben?"

The image of his first master, his first teacher stood beside him now towering over him due to his sudden height loss. "It is good to see you again Luke"

"You told me the last time we talked that you were never coming back"

The old man laughed "Indeed," the but the merriment faded "I was never to see you again, in your current life anyway, but that is over now."

He took a calming breath "What do you mean"

The shade of Obi Wan Kenobi gestured around him "This place has changed that, the force brought me here perhaps to make sure you understood."

"Understood what?"

"You did more than we ever could have hoped, you rebuilt that order, you safeguarded the republic. More than once you and your family saved the it from destruction, your defeat of Aboleth was a sign of your end."

He pondered that statement and his first teacher let him decipher the meaning "I'm supposed to be here?"

"Indeed, the future while rocky and never certain looks bright for the new Jedi, your work there is finished."

Than why am I alive?"

"Is that not obvious Luke? You are the strongest Jedi ever to walk the stars. The things you have done, the enemies you fought, at any point in our orders history there would be no opponent who could outmatch you and few who would be your equal."

The praise made him nervous and a little uncomfortable he was well aware that few people could match him but he never allowed himself to dwell on it. "I am not allowed to say exactly why your were brought here, nor can I give you much in the way of help or guidance as i would wish. But this I do know, you are needed here, the new order will stand you have trained your family and allies well enough for that." The next words had a heavy weight to them "You are needed here"

He had been through a lifetime of training as a jedi and it served him well, he let the anger at being torn away from everything and everyone he had ever known slip away. He would deal with those emotions later "So the force led me here, but what physically put me here?"

Obi Wan glanced towards the sky, "powerful creatures, ancient things a race that might have been alive as long as this planet." The old ghost gave him a smile, "I have a feeling you will discover soon enough what they are."

"Did they use the force one me?"

"No something different, something unique to this world." His old teacher's ghostly eyes went distant for a moment "It is because you do not have this power you were chosen."

"What?"

Ben touched his shoulders the hand feeling warm and alive despite the fact that it was not physical "I must go Luke" with a last fond smile the old man said " The force will be with you, always." Then a gust of wind picked up and he vanished leaving the now young Luke alone in this bold new world, for what purpose he knew not.

He gave himself a few hours to process what had happened and what had been said, one he was cut off from any help or means of contact with the order, two apparently the force had subtly guided him here to do...something important and three he still had no idea what was going on.

He indulged in a few minutes of pity before deciding that it was unbecoming of a Master, but still his son, he had grown in a such a good man, a strong jedi, a worthy legacy. He would never see his son again of that he was certain. In a shiver went through the force as a new insight struck him he would never leave this place, for better for worse, whether he liked it or not Luke Skywalker Grand Master of the Jedi Order was here to stay.


	2. Chapter 2

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1 THE JEDI AND THE DRAGON

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As a rule in the wider galaxy Jedi Clothing was meant to be simple, nothing on it was allowed to be there unless it had a useful purpose. It was made to be cool in the heat, warm in the cold, to not absorb water if one got wet. It was some of the most useful and simple clothing ever made, but it had a second purpose it was meant to stand out. In its simplicity it was meant to convey at once a selflessness of person and a threat of one who had nothing to lose.

Here on a planet guarded by whatever the hell had stuck him here it most likely just came off as strange. He knew that anyone passed was turning their heads for a better glance. If they had seen his ears and new body style, it would have been much worse. Thankfully he had planned for that, within the force there were many strange and varied abilities to learn. One of the powers was the a variation of the mind trick in which the user projected an image through the force and the minds of the people around them made it real.

This was not an absolute ability of course, the bigger the illusion, or the stranger, the more taxing it was on the user and harder it was to sell to the one being tricked. What he was doing was a rather simple illusion. His body while changed still in some ways resembled his boyhood form, all he did with the force was change the appearance of his inhuman features to match a memory from his mind. Long story short to anyone looking at him their mind interpreted his appearance as the form his his eleven year old self.

The road he was on was a well traveled one with many people going up and down its path. It had taken him nearly half the day to find the damn thing and that in an of itself had been a near thing. By some cosmic coincidence or more likely what ever had put him here had given him the gift of being about to speak the common language here or at least the ones the humans spoke.

So with a quick series of questions to passers by and the true explanation that he was lost word of mouth had lead him here. It as a full blown city, from what he could see as he approached, its walls of stone looked to have just been recently built. He confirmed his suspicion when he noted several large groups of men working to clear away the rubble, building materials, scaffolding ect.

The large gates were open wide as all manner of human traveler went in and out, with so much of a crowd Luke was able to slip without the guards noticing despite his conspicuous clothing. It was so strange to walk into a place so far behind in technology than what he was used to. Even the ruins that he had walked among in his time as a Jedi master there had been clear evidence of technology at least several thousand years beyond what he was seeing here.

The houses around him were well made, even the smaller ones looked like they could ride out a tough storm, he noted several cantinas or this world's equivalent of them the odds were very low that these were really called cantinas. He stopped at an alley that had a few boxes and barrels stacked on its side. Getting into a comfortable position he leaned back against the wall eyes closed "Ok" he thought, "now what?" He was here for some reason, some purpose he hoped that whatever put him here would make it happen fast. He could survive for a while without food and with the force to sustain him he could survive even longer.

He did not shudder at the memory but his journey into the Beyond Shadows where force sensitives who lost their physical bodies went. He had found a way there without dieing but when he had gotten his body back it was in horrible shape from lack of food and water. And to top that all of off six sith had attacked them afterwards. He shook his head no that was not important, he glanced up skyward and said in a quiet voice "Any sign would be great, since you stuck me here and took away my freedom."

As if in response to those words a group of people paused in front of the alley speaking in excited voices, "Its supposed to happen at midday, the elves guarding the egg have already arrived and are staying at Stronghammer's keep.

One of the men in the group looked less excited than the others "Why is it always elves guarding it, its was designated for us this year. Why can't we have humans guarding it?"

"Because you can be one hundred percent sure the elves will not try to steal or pawn it off." A smaller man gave a wistful sigh "You could sell it to the right person for a fortune, it would set you up for life."

Another one laughed "Are you going to try and steal it?"

"And go against the elves, each of whom could tie me in knots without even touching me? No thank you."

"That's my point" the dower man said "If they ever decided not to do as they had said none us, save for maybe Stronghammer would be in any position to object."

"The riders would stop them"

"Really, just who makes up most of the riders? Oh wait, its the elves."

"Five eggs hatched for humans in the past five years soon enough we will be watched over by our own kind again."

"And why exactly should we be watched over? Why are we being treated like children."

The oldest one of the group who had not been speaking until now glanced at the dower man "Does evil still exist Hanthor?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"An important one, evil still exists it will always exist, there will always be people who take what they want, whether it be lives, gold, women, power. That evil that plagues all the living races of this world will always necessitate the creation of the riders."

"Its still not right, what about our freedom our right to chose to live as we wish?"

The old man gave him a steady look "It sounds nice but there will always be the ones who choose wrong, after all you did yourself when you were younger."

Hanthor flinched at that "Th-that its not the point here"

Before anything else could be said the bell sounded out three long, loud clangs one of the younger men yelled out in excitement "That it everybody to the center of town, from the youngest to the oldest, its time!."

Luke watched the group move away and glanced up "Usually the force is more subtle" he had to jerk to one side to avoid a falling piece of tile "Ok, ok I get it, that was not a complaint"

He slipped off the box he had been using as a seat followed the group he had been listening to, the street he had been on led to the center of town. There was a stage built a few feet above the ground upon which a two humans and three other creatures. The man had a strong look about, tough thick jaw muscled body full beard, hair that was just beginning to gray. He wore a similar outfit to the people around him save for this well made jeweled belt and a silver headed hammer strapped to his side. His eyes were keen sharp looking over the crowed with a keen pleasure of seeing one's people.

There was a woman at his side, in a well made but practical dress of white and blue, with long copper colored hair that went down to her waist. At her hip as a small baby perhaps only two months old, at her right was a small girl with brown hair that clutched her mothers hand tightly her shining blue eyes taking in everything.

The three creatures beside them where, were, the only way to describe them was lovely, two had fair smooth skin with sharp features. Both had hair with a green tint to it and had it cut short around there fair faces. Both were male, both looked impossible youthful but the way they held themselves spoke of a deceptive appearance in terms of age. In the force both shown bringt against it, the light side shrouded them and rolled from there every movement. It was humbling to see this planet had no knowledge of the force and yet these seemed to be its servants whether they knew it or not.

The women in the middle was a beauty as well, her skin was darker almost brown but not quite, her hair was jet black like obsidian and hung about her neck and shoulders. Her eyes were like black gemstones shining and yet at the same time seeming to take in the light around her. He could say without shame that she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

He blinked at that, why was he paying so much attention her physical features, for goodness sake he was pushing fifty years...his thoughts trailed off. He used to be pushing fifty, now, now he was eleven years old again, shavit he was a kid again. Son of a nerf herder he was in the middle of puberty again .

He arrested the train of thought, drawing in his decades of experience at dealing with coming to terms with things. Ok he was going through puberty again, he had dealt with it before he would again. Of course at eleven he had not understood what was happening at the time, he wondered if that would make the second time around better or worse.

Once he got his hormones out of the way he noted the much more important fact that all three of them were armored and armed, much more so than anyone else he had seen on this planet. Each wore full armor the two males carrying short spears and bows slung across their backs. The women in the center had a sword belted across her waist and carried a large box of dark wood inlaid with gold writing. She held it with the gingerness of a newborn and the reverence of shaman holding an artifact.

The man with the hammer raised his hand for silence and the crowd instantly gave it to him, even a fool could see the crowd respected this man that he had not only their allegiance but their loyalty as well. "All right just like we have done in the past, everyone come up one at a time we will be up here until the last person had been tested."

As he said this the women placed the box on a pedestal built into the stage and mumbled something under her breath. Luke did not catch exactly what she said but he felt energy swirl from the woman's body and around the box she had sat down and seemingly of its own accord the top opened. All became even more silent as she pulled out a large green egg smooth and shining like a gem. One of the males removed the box and the women placed the egg onto the pedestal.

Slowly, one by one, every one of the assembled crowd walked up the steps to the stage and placed a hand on the egg for several moments. Everyone from the oldest women to the newborns got a chance to place their hand on the egg. It lasted a long time, Luke was quite sure that the entire city had turned out for this event. Having arrived nearly last he was tempted to ignore what was happening but the coincidence of hearing about this just after he had asked what he was supposed to do had been to great.

So he waited, the sun was dipping low in the sky when the person before him stepped off the stage. He was the last to step up, he had done that on purpose just in case someone else was chosen for whatever it was they were doing. Something about riders, all remaining eyes fixed on him, he knew he was a strange sight. A boy barely starting puberty, with strange short cut hair wearing clothing and robes that marked him as a stranger to any eye watching. His feet echoed lightly in the silence as he moved up the several steps, as he crested him he pulled back the hood of his robe.

He felt the eyes of the three creatures on him more than most, there eyes had a piercing quality to them as if they saw more of him than he did of them. However they did not seem to notice the force around him shifting their perception ever so slightly, that was good he had enough problems to worry about. He reached out his right hand, the one that had once been a prosthetic now restored to flesh, with a gentle motion he touched the surface of the jade colored egg.

He felt a surge run up his arms, like electricity sent through his entire body, he blinked as the pain stung his eyes. In that blink he found himself floating in a dark void. One exactly like the guardians of this planet had brought him into. But instead of hundreds on hundreds of lights there was only one small glowing orb before him. He could feel life, excitement, joy, impatience, radiat from that light, a tendril of power shot from the light to him. It bypassed his mental defences like they weren't even there piercing to the core of his being.

It was not like when the enormous light rummaged through his memories, this light did not care for such things at this moment. Energy still pulsed through him making it hard to think but the answer to what the light was doing still came to him. It was looking at him, through him, not just at his appearance, but his spirit, his mind, it was quite literally looking at exactly who and what he was. It felt the sorrow of his wife's loss, it felt the joy of his son's accomplishments, it felt his resolve to stand against darkness. It experienced all the thoughts, all the emotions, all the pain, joy, will, that made him who he was. In the breadth of a moment that light understood him better than anyone he had ever known, it an instant it was more intimate with him than any lover, any friend.

It saw him, and Luke felt a burst of pure, radiant, unrestrained joy erupt from the light, a joy so deep and so profound it scarcely felt like he could quantify it at all, It enveloped him expanding until the void faded into white flowing through and from its bubbling conscious a word rang through him. It vibrated his..everything like his body was as cord that had just been plucked, it was a word that defined him, that defined this light. It was only a simple word but perhaps simple words can hold the most power, he felt his mind being drawn back into his body the word the light had spoken ringing in his mind. "Mine"

He blinked and looked down as the egg trembled under his hand, the crowd stared in amazement that created a silence like crystal. Then the moment shattered as a roar of excitement and joy shook the stones of the street itself. He had not noticed his hands moving but feeling a hard weight against his chest he looked down to find himself clutching the egg against him.

Of the three creatures, he really needed to learn what they were called, the two males knelt before him. The women moved until she was standing above him, she spoke words that rang of power, words like the great light had spoken. The noise from the crowd faded as if someone turned down the volume around them "What is your name child?"

He met her dark eyes unflinching "I am Luke, Luke Skywalker"

He noticed the slight shift of her features, and with a little insight from the force concluded that she had been shocked by his name. That it was something she had never heard before, the shift vanished back into her natural mask "I am Nimue, Nimue Saralonde Dragon Rider of Storming Sky. On behalf of Eragon Shadeslayer leader of our order, in the name of all the races of Alagaesia I welcome you Luke Skywalker the next Dragon Rider"

That was when it hit him, really hit him, the lights that had brought him here, the light that had chosen him for something the forces of nature brimming with energy enough to turn mountains on their heads they were dragons. It seemed that they had interwoven their fate to his far deeper than he had imagined or expected but one thing was for sure. Everything had changed…..again.

The women turned to the human male with the hammer at his side "I ask for your assistance Roran Stronghammer, the egg will hatch soon and we are in need of a safe place."

Roran nodded "Of course any rider or friends of the raiders who need shelter will always find it here."

She nodded turning back to him "Is there any one we must speak to regarding what must happen to you?"

Luke shook his head "No, my parents are dead."

She gave him a nod "I see, than do you have any objections or obligations"

Again he shook his head "No I just got here"

Nimue tilted her head slightly the barest hint of a smile touching her face "Oh how the games of fate play."

The crowd parted for them and with the two male creatures flanking him and the women in front they led him to a great hall that stood above the city it guarded. Well trained men guarded the entrance and bumped fists to heart as Roran approached. "You will be given a room and left alone until the egg hatches" Nimue said "I will see to it that your physical needs are met but it should not take long even by your peoples standards."

"So they see time differently" Luke thought as he nodded in agreement to her words.

He was taken to the second story were a room was opened, food and water were brought as well as a plate of salted meat he had been told was for the dragonet when it hatched. After making sure everything was ready Nimue left the room and closed to door. Luke had to work not to let his eyes follow her backside as did so, such behavior was unbecoming of a Jedi.

He ate the meal provided for him grateful not to have to sustain his body on the force, just because one would not die from hunger with the force, at least for a time, did not mean that it kept the pains of hunger away. After that was finished he sat down on the flow, the dim light of the fading sun sinking through the small window. With gentle care he placed the egg upright on the ground in front of him then folding himself into the meditation posture he began to wait, taking the time to center himself in the force while he did so.

The advantage to being good at meditation was that the flow of time lost meaning if one sunk deep into it. Of course that meant that he hand not concept of how long he meditated when he felt a tremor in the force. His eyes opened as the egg before him began to rattle and shake violently. Luke felt his heart start pounding, to his surprise his decades of learning, of mastering his emotions seemed to fly out the window. It was a feeling he had not felt in a long time something that harkened back to the days when he had just met his first master, when he had first met Ben. When he had first touched the force, what ever was going to happen it was big it was going to reshape him.

His eyes were locked on the qwerving shell and he thought he heard a small cry of triumph as a piece from the top shot off and a small nose with scales green as the finest jade poked through. The dragon took in several gulps of air before pulling its nose back in and taking a moment to rest.

Luke waited patiently, despite the sudden storm of emotions shooting through him he knew there was no need to rush. The egg began to shake again more pieces flaking off cracks starting to line its sides. The creature gave several violent spasms and on the third the pieces exploded outward and it shook itself riding its body of the membrane that had encased it in the egg.

He could not tear his eyes away from the creature, it was perhaps as long as his arm was its center strong, thin wings with the myriad of veins standing out sharply against the thin flesh. Its neck was almost serpentine in lengths its eyes the color of orange flame staring at him for the first time. Its entire body was the color of jade and in the flickering light from the rooms single candle refracted of the scales in a pleasing show of light.

It approached him, no she approached, he abruptly knew it was female thought it was not the force that told him. It was more like an instinct, the baby dragon opened her mouth revealing rows of razor sharp teeth and a sound that had a great deal of demand erupted from its mouth.

He felt a smile tug his face, reaching over he picked up the salted meat and chunk by chunk began to feed it to his hungry baby. By the the time he reached the last piece its belly was bulging out and it let out a pleased snort. She looked up at him and he could not have looked away from her eyes even if he had wanted to try, step by step it approached him and a strong, lovely, feminine voice echoed in his head. "I dragon"

Luke did not know why but he raised his hand to his lip touching it lightly words coming to him from where he knew not "I Rider"

She was next to him now almost touching "I am yours"

He touched his heart repeating her words "And I am yours"

"You Rider"

Luke held right hand palm out "You dragon"

Its flaming eyes seared into his very essence "Let our souls be joined"

The words came again to him as he lowered his palm to touch the dragon "Until the end of time"

Skin touched scale and energy shot up his arm power similar to that of the dragons that had placed him here. The force within him, around him, met the oncoming power and it was as if matter met anti matter. And explosion shook the hall, there was no noise to it, merely wave of pure kinetic energy that shattered the door into splinters that cracked the walls and floor, destroyed the bed chair candle and window in a terrible silent flare.

A small circle within that chaos remained untouched, Luke Skywalker and the Jade dragon hardly noticed anything at all. There whole world was for the moment each other as the magic of the dragons forged and everlasting, unbreakable bond and the living force that shrouded the Jedi Master did the same.

In that moment she knew him, in that moment any secrets he had locked away in his mind were laid bare. Everything thing was striped from him as two souls became one, she flicked over his thoughts, into the grief he had locked away. The grief at his wife's death, at her slow and agonizing end at the hand of her own nephew. She comforted him in a way that no one else could, she was part of him now and she felt, knew and understood his pain better than anyone alive or dead.

She found the self revulsion he had acquired for himself over the years, the dark actions he had taken. The life of a women he had ended in a mistaken attempt at revenge, he would never forgive himself for that.

But the dragon in his thoughts did not care, he felt her look through it see everything for what it was and forgive him for it. This creator only a few minutes in the world forgave him for an action he had been carrying for years. And, and it mattered, a weight seemed to leave him as the dragon pried apart all the pain, self loathing, and fear. The fear that he would one day fall to the darkside, that he would take up the mantel of sith lord.

More of the bond formed as suddenly he could feel her thoughts as she could his own, there were a strong mix of well formed emotions and wild vast inhuman passions, joys and anger. She loved him, she knew him, she tossed aside his fears, he was not longer alone, why should he fear his small inner darkness especially if she was here to stand with him.

Why should he carry the guilt of a dead women, one who had manipulated her rider, her life partner into striking her down. She cast aside the self loathing and doubt of her rider and replaced it with her trust in him, with her love for him.

The bond snapped fully into place and along with it there bond in the force, suddenly Luke could feel the rise in fall of his dragons breath, the beat of her heart, and movement of her blood. He could see her place in the force, the connections between him and her and the lack of any shatter-points, the lack of any weakness in what they had become. In his mind he could sense her presence in the force, and in that moment he knew that no matter the distance, no matter the power that could try in and hide her that her life, her presence in the force would never be hidden from him, never in a thousand years.

Luke did not collapse as the energy faded, in his thirty years of travel he had endured several lifetimes of pain and what seemed like eons of learning how to simply keep going. Even when the body could go no further, he heard noises as people entered the room, he paid them no mind rather he tried to focus his eyes they were going blurry. He slumped and would have fallen had not Nimue gently caught him. The dragon moved with surprising speed for one that had eaten its own body weight in meat it crawled up on his chest and with as much pain that was coursing through his body he barely registered the clumsy way it clung to him with its claws. The Elf women waited until the dragon had curled up on his chest before picking him up like he weighed nothing. His vision went dark but he could still hear fine, the man called Roran spoke as Nimue carried him out of the room.

"I dont think that happened when my cousin bonded to Saphira."

Luke could feel the tension in the elf woman's body and two rather unimportant parts of her anatomy that he was in now way focusing on how they pressed against him. "I have been present at several, that has never happened."

"Hothron?" she said in a questioning tone.

A musical voice similar to Nimue answered "There was not attack by magic of that I am certain even if my wards were bypassed they would still have picked up the attack coming."

Nimue frowned at that answer "The creation of a bond rarely has enough ambient energy to create a simple flash of light let alone cause so much destruction."

Roran said in a grave voice "Mayhaps my cousin would know something more."

He felt the elven women nod "You give wise counsel Stronghammer." she said. Her body began to shift as she moved "I am taking him to my quarters, no sense in leaving them alone now that the bonding is done."

Luke felt his dragons presence float through his mind, her presence already a welcome feeling, he felt her finish going through his life, his memories and he heard her words "I chose well my light"

Warmth spread over him "You are mine until the end of time." he felt his body thrum with the truth of that statement. "Rest now rider, rest now, my light." His hold on reality slipped and for the first time since arriving he slept a long and peaceful sleep.


End file.
